MANILA -Globe Telecom Inc. has the widest mobile signal reach and Smart Communications Inc. records the fastest download speeds, while DITO Telecommunity shows strong 5G performance, according to an industry report.
In an OpenSignal study covering data from Jul. 1 to Sep. 28, the independent analytics firm noted that Globe had scored the highest—7.1 out of 10—for mobile coverage, beating Smart’s 7.05 and DITO’s 3.06.
This category measures the geographic coverage of populated areas with users on 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G connectivity.
Smart, meanwhile, registered 27.2-megabits per second (Mbps) download speed. This speed outpaced Globe’s 17.7 Mbps and DITO’s 25.8 Mbps.
“DITO has cut into Smart’s lead as its score rose by 3Mbps, while the average overall download speeds observed by our Smart users rose by 1.8Mbps,” OpenSignal noted.
Lastly, the independent analytics firm observed that “DITO performs strongly on 5G in the regions where it is present.” These are Calabarzon, Central Visayas and Metro Manila.
The third telco, the study showed, was among the top players in terms of 5G video experience, games experience, download speed, upload speed and availability.
After the July 25 deadline and five-day grace period for subscriber identity module (SIM) listup, Globe saw 53.7 million SIM cards registered, which were more than Smart’s 52.5 million and DITO Tel’s 7.74 million
Globe has allocated $1.3 billion in capital expenditure this year for data network builds to address the growing data requirement.
PLDT Inc., Smart’s parent company, has earmarked capital expenditure of P80 billion to P85 billion this year for expansion plans.
DITO, meanwhile, eyes to spend P27 billion this year as it seeks to increase its consumer base.
The telco players have been investing in data centers and subsea cable projects in anticipation of increasing digital needs of customers.
To free up some funds, Globe and PLDT have sold and leased back tower assets to independent tower companies. DITO, meanwhile, has been receiving capital infusion from new investors.